“Even if you get insurance from your employer, you’re not going to be safe from the rippling and chaotic effect of repeal,” DeGette told the audience of nearly 300 people inside the hall. “Repealing ACA makes health care across the board more expensive. Premiums would not just inch up, they would skyrocket up.”

Caucus Co-Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) made it clear that both the ACA and Planned Parenthood are essential to health care. “We are going to stand against this with every fiber of our beings,” DeGette said.

Here, we focus on aspects of the Cures Act that are directly relevant to the NIH’s mission — measures that will provide the agency with critical tools and resources to advance biomedical research across the spectrum from basic, curiosity-driven studies to advanced clinical trials of promising new therapies.

Congress must acknowledge that without access to health insurance coverage, millions of Americans will not benefit from new and life-changing innovations. In fact, they may not be able to access the medicines and care they already rely on today.

DeGette worked with Upton to hold numerous public discussions in Colorado and other states, as well as policy discussions with medical and policy experts, to better understand the challenges and build support for solutions.